supermarket in Kehl where I shop
Note the "merci beaucoup" on the
signs, below the "Vielen Dank".

About a week ago, it was Remembrance Day, or Armistice Day - November 11th, 2011. 93 years before, the First World War was ended, and the death and the horror of that terrible war was finished.

Today, however, we see something very different in the border metropolis of Strasbourg. During the war, it was still the capital of the German territory of Alsace-Lorraine. The day of the Armistice, it was transferred to France. Today, Strasbourg's inhabitants do something strange with their holiday - they go to Germany.

Why? With a holiday, all shops and businesses are closed - especially in France. Well, people in Strasbourg still want to buy food and whatever else. So, they go to Germany. Naturally, Armistice Day isn't a holiday there.

Always trying to be a real Strasbourgeois, I went to Germany too - to the town of Kehl on the other side of the Rhine, about which I've written here and here. I really saw the popularity of the place for the day: just look at my photo of the traffic, above!

So, is it a shame that people do this, because of the day and the memory of the war that should be respected? Or, does this practice demonstrate Europe's progress - its cultures and peoples more united than ever? As for me, I believe the latter. Give me your opinions with a comment!